Oral Histories

The SFA oral history program documents life stories from the American South. Collecting these stories, we honor the people whose labor defines the region.

ORAL HISTORY

George Watkins - Beekeeper

Watkins’ Tupelo Honey

George Watkins’s family has been in the Apalachicola area since the late nineteenth century. They’ve witnessed the sponge trade, the loading of cotton boats, and a booming seafood industry. When George was a kid, his grandfather took him fishing every weekend. He put George in a boat when he was eight years old. Right then, George knew he wanted to be a fisherman. Over the years he has harvested just about everything the bay has to offer. But one day George decided to take up beekeeping. He says it was because he just liked honey. Like everything else George does, he threw himself into beekeeping with a passion. He started small, but soon he was the top tupelo honey producer in the area. For George, it’s not just about the tupelo. It’s about the river that nourishes the trees that make the blossoms that make the bees make such wonderful honey.

Since I've been in the honey business, I've started making honey mead, which is like honey wine. I learned it from a friend in New Orleans. He taught me how to do it, and he said to use any kind of honey. It don't have to be table grade honey. But I tried that, and it made a real powerful alcohol that I didn't like too good. But the tupelo honey made a better tasting wine. ~ George Watkins

WORKING TOGETHER

WE CAN CULTIVATE PROGRESS.

The Southern Foodways Alliance drives a more progressive future by leading conversations that challenge existing constructs, shape perspectives, and foster meaningful discussions. We reconsider the past with research, scrutiny, and documentation.